Rep. Peter Edgecomb, Caribou, was recently named a Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business Maine Chapter for voting in strong support of small business in the 2007-2008 legislative sessions. “NFIB Guardian awards go to those legislators who by their votes have demonstrated key support for small business. Rep. Edgecomb, with a 100 percent voting record, has been a proven supporter of the small-business owner in Maine when it counts, “ said David R. Clough, NFIB Maine State director, in presenting the award.
NFIB’s legislative voting record includes floor votes on issues of vital importance to small business in the 2007-08 sessions.
The health of the small business sector is vital to the health of the Maine economy.
Businesses in Maine with fewer than 100 employees number over 44,800 (98 percent) of all private sector firms), employ more than 308,000 people (65 percent) and pay over $2.3 billion in wages (58.1 percent of total wages).
Businesses in Maine with fewer than 50 employees number over 43,900 (97 percent of all private sector firm), employ more than 247,000 people (52 percent of the workforce) and pay over $1.8 billion in wages (46 percent of total wages).
“Small firms by definition are labor-intensive and are especially affected by issues affecting employment cost,” Clough noted. About three out of every four new jobs created in Maine occur in small businesses.
Small businesses are Maine’s engine of economic growth and jobs. The bookings Institution report in 2006 on “Charting Maine’s Future” indicated that growth of small businesses is critical to the growth of Maine’s economy.
NFIB is the nation’s and Maine’s leading small-business advocacy organization.
